Osaka Museum of History
Over 1350 years of Urban Osaka history are realistically recreated at the Osaka Museum of History. It offers the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of every era of Osaka's recorded history, from the ancient Naniwa Palace to modern times, through full-scale restored buildings, models, graphics, and a wealth of actual documents.
Take the elevator to the 10th floor from the entrance to find the Daigokuden Hall of the Naniwa no Miya Palace in the Nara period (710-794). From there, take in the breathtaking view of Osaka from a full-size replica of the ancient palace. Meanwhile, the ninth floor is home to a miniature of Osaka in the Edo period, when it became known as the "Nation's Kitchen." As for the seventh floor, gaze at a full-scale model of retro Osaka from the Taisho and early Showa eras, reproduced along with the hustle and bustle of the city.
The Osaka Museum of History also offers other exhibits and experiences, including a hands-on archaeology corner on the eighth floor and the remains of the Naniwanomiya Palace preserved underground.
Main works (stored items)
Letter from Chineses Court, naming Hideyoshi King of Japan
Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent an army the Korean peninsula in 1592, starting the Bunroku War (Imjin War). The battle dragged on into a stalemate, eventually leading to peace negotiations. As a result, the Ming emperor sent a letter to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, bestowing upon him the title of King of Japan. However, Hideyoshi was unsatisfied with its contents and launched another military expedition (Keicho War, or the Jeongyu War). The Joseon Tongsinsa goodwill missions were then established to handle the postwar situation of Japan's invasion of Korea.
Important Cultural Property: Folding Screens of the Battle of Sekigahara
Early Edo period
These two folding screens depict the battle between Tokugawa Ieyasu's Eastern Army and Ishida Mitsunari's Western Army at Sekigahara in Mino in 1600, as they fought for control of Japan. The screens illustrate the movements of both armies from September 14 to 15: the Western Army holed up in Ogaki Castle and Ieyasu heading towards Sekigahara, and the Western Army fleeing to Mount Ibuki after the battle with the Eastern Army chasing them. Among the existing illustrations of the Battle of Sekigahara, these screens are considered the oldest. It is said that they were brought by Ieyasu's adopted daughter, Princess Manten, as one of her personal effects when she married into the Tsugaru clan of the Hirosaki domain in 1612.
Early Edo period
- Important Cultural Property: Boat-Shaped Haniwa from the Takamawari Tombs
- Square Decorative Tile with Gold Foil-Pressed Paulownia Pattern
- Important Cultural Property: Twelve Devas Ink Drawing on Paper (Chinkai Edition)
- Documents Related to the Joseon Tongsinsa (Korean Diplomatic Missions to Japan)
- Ruins of the Western Imperial Government Office at the site of Early Naniwa-no-Miya Palace
